Cuyo
Training a Guineapig army
Hell, at least you're principled. But I think you'll find you're in a minority even among your own.
All I hear is a lot of wanting healthcare costs to go down, without denying vital services, and without government intervention. It's like saying "I want you to cut my grass, but only if you also give me a handjob."
While I don't agree with your position, at least it makes sense.
I know i am in the minority.....i am also realistic and truthful.
I really don't give a shit if your baby is not going to live another extra year without the 10 million dollar surgery. Say good by now instead of later and don't waste the money.
I really don't care if your 99 year old mother needs a heart transplant.... she wont live much longer anyway. Say good by now and not later. Don't waste the money OR organ.
I don't care if you cant get your dick up and you WANT Viagra... tough shit... you wont die not having sex.
I could care less if you want a sex change.... you wont die without one.
You got shot gang banging...though. I don't care if you bleed out on a gurney.... you can wait till everyone else in the ER is taken care of.
The only way to make universal health care work is to put limits on what services you CAN have.
So ...back to broken leg man.... ya patch him up. You put a plaster cast on him... not a high tech fiberglass one. I don't care if you want rehab or psychical therapy...if you want it pay for it. I don't care if turns out is ugly... if you want a plastic surgeon to fix you... pay for it.
So if you suddenly find yourself out of job because of some Chinese takeover, have your health coverage discontinued and you get acute appendicitis, you deserve to die because you have no insurance? That is essentially what you are saying. Not all the people without insurance are at fault. Some do milk the system but a lot of people have no recourse.
The healthcare industry is a for profit industry and to that end each level tries to maximize that profit. The doctor, the pharmacists, the hospitals, the nursing homes, the equipment suppliers, the drug companies and all the middle men. That is the way it is set up. It is not set up to provide affordable care but to make a profit and as much as they can.
All good points, and another crucial part of the debate. Say your HMO buried in line 19 of page 40 of rider 3 in your policy that lymphoma isn't covered if you own a diabetic hamster... Then lo and behold, lymphoma... Diabetic hamster... figures.
I know that's an extraneous scenario but this sort of thing does happen. You may think you have great insurance for years, until 'The big one' happens... Suddenly some stipulation precludes you from receiving payment.
But do we want THE GUBMINT to tell insurance companies what they CAN and CANNOT do??? What is this, Nazi Germany? I mean, won't the free market handle this sort of thing? Can't you just take it as a lesson learned and not use that insurance company anymore?
Universal single payer and laissez faire free-market are not the only two options, just as Smart Cars and Hummers are not your only two options. Obamacare is a middle ground that for decades prior, we were not pursuing.